“Dimitri Payet was a serious candidate for a place in the squad. He played the first half-hour (against Atletico), but he aggravated his injury, and the recovery time needed for that type of injury is three weeks,” Deschamps said after revealing his squad live on television station TF1’s evening news programme. “But as it is a muscle injury, there is a risk of a relapse.”
Payet was one of France’s stars at Euro 2016, when they reached the final as hosts before losing to Portugal. But he has also fallen victim to the number of attacking options available to Deschamps, who did call up Payet’s Marseille teammate Florian Thauvin along with the excellent Lyon captain Nabil Fekir.
Elsewhere, Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy was called up despite having hardly featured for Pep Guardiola’s side since returning from a serious knee injury. France open their World Cup campaign against Australia in the Russian city of Kazan on June 16. The 1998 World Cup winners will also take on Peru and Denmark in Group C.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/ENG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/GER), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/ESP), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP)
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla/ESP), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/GER)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
11-man reserve list
Goalkeeper: Benoit Costil (Bordeaux)
Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Saint-Etienne), Mamadou Sakho (Crystal Palace/ENG), Kurt Zouma (Stoke City/ENG — on loan from Chelsea/ENG), Lucas Digne (Barcelona/ESP)
Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain), Moussa Sissoko (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)
Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla/ESP), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich/GER), Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal/ENG), Anthony Martial (Manchester United/ENG)
Liverpool’s Mane included in Senegal World Cup squad
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane will lead Senegal’s hopes at their second World Cup appearance in Russia next month, after coach Aliou Cisse announced his 23-man squad in Dakar yesterday.
Mane will be expected to provide the majority of the team’s attacking threat along with Monaco striker Keita Balde, with West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Everton’s Idrissa Gueye also included.
The 26-year-old Mane has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season for Liverpool, helping Jurgen Klopp’s side finish fourth in the Premier League and reach next week’s Champions League final against Real Madrid.
Goalkeeper Khadim N’Diaye, who plays for Horoya in Guinea, is the only African-based player to make the list. Senegal have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals on their debut in 2002, when they stunned reigning champions France 1-0 in the opening match of the tournament.
They begin their 2018 campaign against Poland in Moscow on June 19, before further Group H matches with Japan and Colombia.
Senegal 23-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes/FRA), Khadim N’Diaye (Horoya/GUI), Alfred Gomis (SPAL/ITA)
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli/ITA), Lamine Gassama (Alanyaspor/TUR), Kara Mbodji (Anderlecht/BEL), Moussa Wague (Eupen/BEL), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux/FRA), Saliou Ciss (Valenciennes/FRA), Salif Sane (Hanover/GER)
Midfielders: Badou Ndiaye (Stoke/ENG), Idrissa Gueye (Everton/ENG), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham/ENG), Cheikh N’Doye (Birmingham/ENG), Alfred N’Diaye (Wolves/ENG)
Forwards: Sadio Mane (Liverpool/ENG), Keita Balde (Monaco/FRA), Diafra Sakho (Rennes/FRA), Moussa Konate (Amiens/FRA), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes/FRA), M’Baye Niang (Torino/ITA), Moussa Sow (Bursaspor/TUR), Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke/ENG)
Fiery Benatia leads Morocco hopes at World Cup
Fiery Juventus defender Medhi Benatia took centre stage yesterday as Morocco coach Herve Renard named his 23-man squad for the World Cup. Benatia, fresh from helping Juventus to the Italian league-cup double, is one of 19 players in the squad who ply their trade in Europe. He seems set to be not too far from the headlines in Russia after a dramatic campaign in Italy which saw club coach Massimiliano Allegri telling him to “shut up” during a match.
It was also former Bayern Munich star Benatia who conceded the controversial late penalty which gave Real Madrid a place in the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of the Italians in April.
Morocco are in Group B at the World Cup finals which get underway on June 14 along with Spain, Portugal and Iran. Morocco last played at the World Cup in 1998.
Morocco squad:
Goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui (CD Numancia/ESP), Yassine Bounou (Girona/ESP), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (IRT/MAR)
Defenders: Medhi Benatia (Juventus/ITA), Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton/ENG), Manuel Da Costa (Basaksehir/TUR), Badr Benoun (RCA/MAR), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce/TUR), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid/ESP), Hamza Mendyl (Lille/FRA)
Midfielders: M’barek Boussoufa (Al Jazira/UAE), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord/ NED), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen/FRA), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord/NED), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray/TUR), Faycal Fajr (Getafe/ESP), Amine Harit (Schalke 04/ GER), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes/ESP)
Forwards: Khalid Boutaib (Malatyaspor/TUR), Aziz Bouhaddouz (Saint Pauli/GER), Ayoub El Kaabi (RSB/MAR), Mehdi Carcela (Standard Liege/BEL), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax Amsterdam/NED)
